Attack of the Cougars
by Mihloa
Summary: A group of redwallers is taken captive by a horde of vermin and mountain lions. Written in classic redwall style.
1. Chapter 1

It was a bright sunny day in Mossflower wood. A rich golden sun looked down upon the orchard, the pond and the paddock of Redwall Abbey.

Two young squirrels, Springleaf and Dalroy could be seen climbing up the stairs to the top of the North gate. Once on the very top, they leapt one by one onto a low branch of a nearby tree, scuttling into the leafy center. The squirrels laughed as they sat down on a thick branch to rest.

'We're out again Dal. They can't keep us locked inside that musty old abbey.'

'Yah, they'll learn that soon enough Spring. But I don't understand why Abbess Farra and all those other oldbeasts don't let us off the grounds. We're grown squirrels; they should let us make our own decisions now. And besides, nowadays Mossflower is as safe as a birds nest.'

The squirrels stopped to listen as the mourning abbey bells tolled.

'We better go adventur'n before they start looking for us,' Springleaf said. She climbed down the tree, onto a well stamped path, followed by Dalbark. The two young ones jogged down the path, their backs toward the abbey.

Abbess Fara was meanwhile helping set the tables outside for breakfast in the orchard with a group of other abbey creatures. The Badgermum set a stack of small, light tables down and wiped her brow with the back of her paw.

'Whew. It sure is hot out today. Summers finally arrived, eh Riverpaw?'

The otter turned away from the cart of food he was pushing and began to arrange the tables.

'Yer right about that, matey. An' I'm thankful too, after that roarin' winter we 'ad.'

Netty, an old hedgehog maid began checking the food in the cart. 'There's still a lot of food in the kitchen. I'd better go get another cartful. Oh look, there's Brother Aspen. Aspen, could you please run down to the kitchen and get another cartful of food for breakfast?'

The dormitory keeper mouse walked down the path from the abbey to join them. 'Of course Netty, but first I must inform Fara that those two rascals have disappeared again. They weren't in their beds this morning, and I've searched the whole abbey for them.'

'Oh no, not again! Isn't there anyway to hold those young'ns?' Netty asked worriedly.

'Not ter worry, Netty. Yer know Springleaf and 'Alroy always return shortly. But I'll go take a look fer 'em, they always git out by overhang'n branches. They'll be fine,' Riverpaw said.

Abbess Fare looked distractedly at the woods that surrounded all sides of the abbey. 'I hope you're right, Riverpaw.'

Meanwhile, Springleaf and Dalroy were starting to feel guilty, as had happened in every outing. Being good beasts, the guilt of rebelling after being shown so much kindness always hit them like a ton of bricks.

'Err, do think we should go back now, Dal?'

'Yes, they, uh, probably have breakfast ready by now.'

The squirrels turned to go home when all the sudden they heard a heavy rustling in the bushes. They looked as a group of bushes shook madly as something began to emerge.

'Up the tree!' Dalroy shouted. The squirrels grabbed the lowest branch they could find and buzzed up into the leafy thick top of an old maple tree.

Two large brown paws pushed aside some leaves and a hare stepped onto the path. He wore a tattered cloak and shouldered what looked like a mostly empty bag.

'I say! Those bushes sure are bally well hard to get through. Now that I've found a path I'm stick'n to it, wot, wot!'

Dalroy and Springleaf hopped out of the tree, making the hare leap two feet into the air.

'Whaaa! You tree wallopers almost made me jump onto a thorn bush. Shouldn't go around scare'n a chap, dontcha know!'

'Hello sir,' said Springleaf, who always liked hares for their comical manner. 'This is Dalroy and I'm Springleaf. Are you trying to get to the abbey?'

'An Abbey? You can jolly well bet on it missie! I haven't a bally thing to eat in days, wot wot! I'm Benjamin, pleased t'meet ya!'

As they walked back to the Abbey, Benjamin told the squirrels why he was there.

'I'm part of a nice little clan of snowshoe hares from the North. But our dwelling was attacked and taken by bally smelly, ugly vermin. They took all our food and burned down our houses, dontcha know. Anyway, we were all traveling south to find someplace else to live, but we caught site of another pack of vermin. Actually, I believe it was the same one. They had mountain lions with them. Mountain lions are the bally well worst beasts to roam the earth, dontcha know. Except for vermin of course. Anyway, the clan decided to stay and hide, and send a couple o' scouts ahead, but seem I to have misplaced my friend Snowbuck, wot wot!'

Dalroy nodded. 'Don't worry, he'll find you. Theres our Abbey.'

Meanwhile, only a few miles behind Benjamin, Springleaf, and Dalroy, a large band of weasels, Stoats, and ferrets, along with a pair of mountain lions, had stopped to rest.

Dlake, the leader, a large weasel wearing a black hooded cloak and a belt with two spears hanging from either side, sprawled out in the long grass on the side of the path and shuffled through his pack, pulling out a piece of cheese. He ate it slowly, watching his band closely, listening for any words of threat or rebellion. The other vermin sat and ate together, talking and laughing. Some began to build fires.

Knifeclaw, one of the mountain lions came over and sat beside Dlake.

'I can't eat this stuff!' the mountain lion exclaimed, batting his large pack of food from the hares village with his paw, sending it flying. He stared into the vermin leaders pale eyes. 'You had better keep your bargain, because me and my mate love the taste of fresh weasel.'

Dlake glared at him. 'I'm starting to think asking a cougar into my horde was a mistake. You'll get your meat, lion. Calm down.'

The weasel stood up and beckoned to two stoats that were sitting against a tree. The brawny stoats hefted two huge bags over and dropped them beside Knifeclaw. The mountain lion opened them with his huge paws and brought out three dead fish and two dead sparrows.

'You said six a day. Three for me and three for Brissle.'

'Finish that and by the time your done the hunters will be back. I don't know why it makes so much difference to you.'

Brissle, the other mountain lion joined her mate and they began to eat ravenously.

'I know of a nice little place just down the road that would make the perfect fortress for us,' Dlake whispered evily to himself.


	2. Chapter 2

**Just to tell you, since every large animal in redwall books is minimized, a cougar would be only like 2 feet taller than the other animals.**

Back at the Abbey, Springleaf, Dalroy, and Benjamin were having breakfast with the rest of the Redwallers. Riverpaw had just started out to find the two squirrels when he saw them coming in at the North gate along with a hare, and Abbess Fara and the abbey dwellers were delighted at having a visitor. After breakfast Springleaf and Dalroy were sentenced to three days of chores in the infirmary, were they wouldn't be let out until their sentenced time was over.

Breakfast out in the shade of the orchard in long rows of tables was oatmeal scones, fruit slices, and bread with raspberry jam, along with dandelion milk. Benjamin was having a field day with his favourite pastime, eating, as like most hares, he was a glutton.

'Mmm, this raspberry jam is simply marvellous! And these scones are better than even the maple syrup scones we always made up North. Hmm, I wonder what a scone sandwich would taste like.' The hare stuck a few slices of fruit onto a scone and sandwiched it between two pieces of jammy bread, and prepared for the biggest bite of his life. 'Mmmphhh.'

Debine, a female mole tsk tsked at the hare. 'Oi doin't know how ee' cin thoink so much o' food when ur moit is owt in ee' woods, lost, hoo arr!'

Benjamin swallowed the last of his scone sandwich. 'Ol' Snowbuck is a tough one, dontcha know. It would take a great beast to cause him harm, wot wot.'

Fara heard a faint noise coming from behind her. She turned around to see the North gate being smashed open, and a large horde of vermin flooding through.

Standing up quickly, she bellowed out, 'everybeast in the abbey! Now!'

All the Redwallers got up and ran to the abbey, Fara and the Redwall warriors, Jaldor the squirrel, and Riverpaw helping the dibbuns and old ones. Benjamin stayed in his seat, looking around confusedly. 'Whats going on here? Can't a chap finish his breakfast?' He looked around and his ears shot up. The vermin were now almost at the back of the building and two of the most ferocious creatures ever to walk the woods were behind them. He quickly shot up and sped past the other creatures into the abbey.

'Excuse me, pardon me, a chaps gotta get through, wot wot.'

The last creature had just made it in the abbey when the horde reached the doors. Harble and Riverpaw began dragging tables, chairs, and desks to the doors to block them. Then all the bigger creatures put their backs toward the empty spots on the doors, ready push against any attempts to get in.

Dlake gave a hard shove to the door in false hope. Then he moved aside as Knifeclaw and Bissle moved in and threw their weight against it. It trembled, but thanks to all the weight on the other side, did not budge.

'Go for the windows!' Dlake shouted. Instantly every vermin shouldered a spear and began climbing up the ledges and bricks of the abbey to the windows.

'Everyone, listen up,' Hurble yelled to the redwallers after hearing Dlake's shout. 'Grab anything you can use as a weapon. Olderbeasts and dibbuns, head to the basement, as far as you can go Everyone else, guard the windows and get ready to fight,' He headed to his chamber to grad a bow and arrows.'

Abbess Fara started up the stairs just as a window shattered into a million pieces onto the floor.


End file.
